The present invention relates to mechanisms for holding and organizing articles and, in particular, it concerns a system that provides for easy addition of new holding elements to the system with out the need to disturb existing system elements, and further providing for easy adjustment of holding elements within the system.
One embodiment of a device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,515,284 to Taylor consists of a runner bar and springy clip halves, the clips being held in place by the friction of the spring effect between two legs of the clip base. Each of the clips of Taylor must be inserted into the runner bar at one of the two ends and then slid to the desired location along the length of the runner bar. This may prove to be a cumbersome process if a large number of clips need to be arranged along the length of a loge runner bar. Once a suitable arrangement of clips is deployed, articles may be held in place between two opposing clips. If a new article is to be added to the group of articles stored or held on the assembled device, it may require that some clips be removed from the end of the runner bar, the clips for the new article inserted into the runner bar and the previously removed clips reinserted. One can well imagine the inconvenience of this process if a large number of clips must be removed and reinserted.
One solution to overcome the problem of feed holding elements from an open end of a runner of rail is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,826,022 to Duarte. The Duarte device includes two panels each of which contain associated slots. One of the slots is configured with notches arranged to engage the engagement portion of the hanger element. Placement of the Duarte hangers is limited by the position of the notches, and therefore placement of the hangers is not continuously variable along the full length of the slot.
Another solution to overcome feeding holding elements from the end of a runner or rail is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,635,801 to the present inventor. The rails of this device are configured with a longitudinal slot. The holding elements are configured with a holder portion configured to extend perpendicular to the rail, with a gripper portion configured so as to fit through the slot. Once inserted in the slot the gripper is rotated so as to align with the rail along the edge of the slot. By tightening a screw, the gripper than grips the portion of the rail between the gripper and the base of the holder portion. This device suffers from the need to rotate the gripper so as to bring it into suitable alignment with the rail, both during installation of the holding element and when adjusting the position of the holding element on the rail.
There is therefore a need for a holding and storage system that provides easy attachment of holding elements to a base element substantially along the entire length of a slot provided in the base element such that a connecting portion of the holding element may be inserted into the slot at substantially any point along the length of the slot.